In the printing industry special attention is drawn to maintaining high quality prints. The quality of prints tends deteriorate as a result of dirt (e.g. dust) or ink residue that accumulate within the printer and affects the quality of prints.
In many printing presses, for example, a cleaner function is typically included, in which a cleaner (e.g. a wiper) wipes out dirt and ink residues from the blanket of the Intermediary Transfer Member (ITM), at a preset or predetermined frequency.
Modern printing machines, such as, for example, HP Indigo 7500 Digital Press, exhibit complete delivery of ink from the blanket onto the substrate. Auto-cleaner capacity in such presses may include printing an auto-cleaner print that includes a single color patch, covering all or most of the print area, thereby making sure that all ink residues are removed from the drum onto the substrate.
Typically, auto-cleaner frequency for such presses is predetermined with respect to substrate group which is currently used for printing. If this frequency is not optimal for a given substrate, the operator may encounter print quality issues, that may consequently lead the operator to replace blankets at a high rate to address the quality issue.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.